1、专业英语四级（科学技术类阅读理解）模拟试卷 1及答案与解析 0 Its one of the worlds most celebrated theories - that it takes just six steps to link any two people on the planet. Person A would have danced at a ball with B, who once shared a flat with C who bought a bicycle from D. and so on. Now a few computer whizzes have put t
2、he theory to the test and found that it is true - almost. Rather than six degrees of separation, we are linked by 6.6. In other words, we really are just a handful of acquaintances away from the likes of Madonna and the Queen. Eric Horvitz, one of the Microsoft researchers who tested the theory usin
3、g electronic messages, said he was shocked at the result. The concept of six degrees of separation came to public attention after an experiment in the Sixties, but is seen today as more of an urban legend. However, the Microsoft study shows that neither the growing population - nor advances in commu
4、nication technology - have markedly changed the result. “What were seeing suggests there may be a social connectivity constant for humanity,“ he said. “People have had this suspicion that we are really close. But we are showing on a very large scale that this idea goes beyond folklore.“ The research
5、ers studied the addresses of 30 billion instant messages sent through the Microsoft network in a single month in 2006. Two people were considered to be acquaintances - or separated by one degree - if they communicated with one another through the email-like system. Calculations showed the majority o
6、f users, or 78 per cent, could be connected by just 6.6 messages or steps. The phrase “six degrees of separation“ came into usage after the 1960s study by academic Stanley Milgram. Milgram sent letters to a random selection of people in American cities, telling them that they were to pass the note t
7、o a certain stockbroker living in Boston if they knew him by name. If they did not, they were to pass the letter to someone they knew who they thought might have a better chance of being acquainted with him. The average number of times the letters had to be passed on to reach the broker was six, or
8、6.2 to be exact - and a new phrase was born. The concept was not a new one even then, and had been written about in the 1920s by Hungarian author Frigyes Karinthy. Karinthy said that any two individuals could be connected by at most five acquaintances. But after Milgrams experiment the idea captured
9、 the worlds imagination, later spawning a play and film. In the 1993 film Six Degrees of Separation, based on the 1990 play of the same name, one of the characters said: “Six degrees of separation between us and everybody else on the planet.“ “The president of the United States, a gondolier in Venic
10、e, just fill in the names.“ “I am bound, you are bound, to everyone on this planet by a trail of six people.“ However, others claim we are not as well connected as we think, and that a few quality friendships are more important that a host of loose links. Barriers such as education, class and race m
11、ean the world is not as small as we might like to believe, it is argued. 1 What is the main idea of this passage? （ A） The passage explains the theory of six degrees of separation. （ B） The passage states that Microsoft researchers have proved the theory of six degrees of separation. （ C） The passag
12、e questions whether the theory six degrees of separation can be proved. （ D） The passage reviews the development of the theory of six degrees of separation. 2 According to the author, the term “beyond folklore“ in Paragraph 2 means_. （ A） is hard to prove （ B） is not just a guess （ C） is common sens
13、e （ D） is a legend 3 In Paragraph 4 the writer implies that_. （ A） Milgram knew every one who participated in his experiment. （ B） Milgram was a postman. （ C） Milgrams experiment failed. （ D） The phrase “six degrees of separation“ was created to represent the result of Milgrams experiment. 4 Accordi
14、ng to the passage, who is the first one that put forward the idea on which the six degrees of separation was finally developed? （ A） Eric Horvitz （ B） Microsoft （ C） Stanley Milgram （ D） Frigyes Karinthy 5 In Paragraph 6 why the president of the United States and a gondolier in Venice are mentioned
15、together? （ A） They are mentioned together as an example to illustrate the theory of six degrees of separation. （ B） They are mentioned together because they know each other. （ C） Because the gondolier is a supporter of the president of the U.S. （ D） Because the president of the U.S. is going to vis
16、it Venice. 5 SAN FRANCISCO After months of feverish speculation, Steven P. Jobs introduced Wednesday what Apple hopes will be the coolest device on the planet: a slender tablet computer called the iPad. However, the question is whether the iPad can achieve anything close to the success of the iPhone
17、, which transformed the cellphone and forced the industry to race to catch up. Apple is positioning the device, some versions of which will be available in March, as a pioneer in a new genre of computing, somewhere between a laptop and a smartphone. Half an inch thick and weighing 1 1/2 pounds, the
18、device will vividly display books, newspapers, Web sites and videos on a 9.7-inch glass touch screen. Giving media companies another way to sell content, it may herald a new era for publishing. But the iPad, costing $499 to $829, also lacks some features common in laptops and phones, as technology e
19、nthusiasts were quick to point out. To its instant critics, it was little more than an oversize iPod Touch. A camera is notably absent, and Flash, the ubiquitous software that handles video and animation on the Web, does not work on the device. Another thing missing is an alternative to the AT&T dat
20、a network, which is already buckling under the strain of traffic to and from iPhones. Some versions of the iPad can, for a monthly fee, use a 3G data connection like cellphones, but the only carrier mentioned was AT&T. Mr. Jobs posited that the iPad was the best device for certain kinds of computing
21、, like browsing the Web, reading e-books and playing video. The iPad “is so much more intimate than a laptop, and its so much more capable than a smartphone with its gorgeous screen,“ he said in presenting the device to a crowd of journalists and Apple employees here. “Its phenomenal to hold the Int
22、ernet in your hands.“ One question Apple faces is whether there is enough room for another device in the cluttered lives of consumers. Mr. Golvin said book lovers would continue to opt for lighter, cheaper e-readers like the Amazon Kindle, while people looking for a small Web-ready computer would gr
23、avitate toward the budget laptops known as netbooks. But other analysts say they have heard similar criticism before once aimed at the iPhone, which has now been bought by more than 42 million people around the world. These believers say Apples judgment on the market is nearly infallible. The succes
24、s of the iPhone and its cousin, the iPod Touch, have shown a path for tablets. People have been willing to pay to customize those devices with applications, turning them into video game machines, compasses, city guides and e-book readers. 6 It can be inferred from Paragraph 1 that_. （ A） Apples new
25、tablet iPad has many technical problems （ B） Many people have been guessing about Apples new product （ C） iPad will take the place of iPhone soon （ D） iPad is a cooling machine 7 Compared to laptops and phones, iPad_. （ A） has notable cameras （ B） cannot open animation files on the web using softwar
26、e “Flash“ （ C） is smaller （ D） is cheaper 8 In Paragraph 5, “Phenomenal“ can be replaced by_. （ A） horrifying （ B） unreasonable （ C） convenient （ D） cool 9 Which of the following statements is CORRECT?_. （ A） An iPad is cheaper than a netbook （ B） Amazon Kindle is heavier than an iPad （ C） The launc
27、h of iPhone to the market is a total failure （ D） An iPad has a gorgeous screen which a smartphone does not enjoy 10 What is the tone of this passage? （ A） Balanced （ B） Sarcastic （ C） Critical （ D） Enthusiastic 专业英语四级（科学技术类阅读理解）模拟试卷 1答案与解析 1 【正确答案】 B 【试题解析】 主旨题。通读全文可以发现 “six degrees of separation”六
28、度分隔理论是主题词，但是，文章本身关注更多的是关于这一理论是如何被微软公司的研究人员证实的，不是主要解释该理论的。所以 A犯了以偏概全的错误， C也是只提到了理论被质疑 的一方面，不能概括全文主旨。 D是最具迷惑性的选项，因为文中花了不少篇幅介绍理论的发展和证实过程，但是所有一切都是因微软公司的最新发现引起，所以 D也不是最佳答案。 2 【正确答案】 B 【试题解析】 指代题。此题需要认真理解第二段的最后两句 “People have had this suspicion that we are really close But we are showing on a very large s
29、cale that this idea goes beyond folklore ”，人们曾经怀疑过彼此之间的距离是非常近的，但是直到微软的研究结果公布，才真正从数据上说明这种怀疑并非毫无根据。 3 【正确答案】 D 【试题解析】 推理题。 “Milgram”是定位关键词。文中指出他是随机发送的信件，所以他并不认识所有参与实验的人 (排除 A)；文中提到他是一个 “academic”学者，所以 B说他是邮递员是干扰项；他的实验就是要证明六度分隔理论，而结果是这个名词由此诞生，所以实验是成功的 (排除 C)。 4 【正确答案】 D 【试题解析】 细节题。选项中给出的名字就是定位关键词，依此返回原
30、文查找，六度分隔理论原始雏形的创始人是 Frigyes Karinthy。 5 【正确答案】 A 【试题解析】 细节题。美国总统和刚朵拉船夫是定位关键词，同时也需要对全文主旨有所把握，才能分清此处只不过是为了说明六度分隔理论而举的例子。 6 【正确答案】 B 【试题解析】 推理题。题目已给出定位线索 “第一段 ”，从文中的 “months of feverish speculation”可知很多人都对苹果的新产品翘首以盼。第一段 并未提到iPad的技术问题，所以排除 A。另外 C属于歪曲了文中原意，作者是说 iPad是否能像 iPhone一样获得市场青睐还不得而知。 D更是曲解了 cool的含
31、义，把 cool直译为了降温的机器。 7 【正确答案】 B 【试题解析】 细节题。 “Laptop”和 “phone”是定位关键词，具体内容出现在文中第二、三段，阅读可知， iPad比较贵，价格在 499到 829美元，比大号 iPod稍微大些，没有摄像头，也不能播放 Flash。 8 【正确答案】 D 【试题解析】 词汇题。从文中可以看出， Jobs介绍 iPad时是希望强调其时尚性的，能把互联网放在手心中是很酷的一件事，故选 D。其他选项带人原文都会产生负面意义，与 Jobs先生说话的初衷不符。 9 【正确答案】 B 【试题解析】 细节题。 “Netbook”， “Amazon Kindle”等专有名词是定位关键词，回答问题的信息基本出现在第五、六、七段。第五段提到 iPad的屏幕大，第六段提到 AmazonKindle便宜而且轻便， netbook也更经济，第七段开头提到iPhone投放市场是成功的。 10 【正确答案】 A 【试题解析】 态度题。通读全文可以发现，作者对 iPad的优缺点都提到了，观点很平衡，没有明显的表示情感的态度词出现。
